The present invention relates to increasing contact area between phases in a multi-phase system. Many industrial processes involve the intimate mixing of immiscible liquids or the mixing of one or more gases and a liquid. For the industrial process, which may be a chemical reaction or the transference of heat or mass, to proceed at the greatest rate in such multi-phase systems, it is desirable that the area of contact between the phases in the system is as large as possible.
The mixture of liquids and/or gases may be produced by any of a number of well known means, such as disc aerators or sparge rings, which may be used in conjunction with conventional dispersing systems, such as the well-known paddle and baffle type. For a mixture of liquids and gases, the multi-phase medium will take the form of a cloud of bubbles of the gas or gases dispersed through the body of the liquid or liquids. The bubbles will generally rise through the body of the liquid due to their natural buoyancy, the desired process being intended to occur during the transit of the gas bubbles up through the containing vessel for the liquid. For a mixture of a number of immiscible liquids, bubbles of the less dense liquids form in the most dense liquid and rise up through it.